Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr

Saint Ignatius of Antioch (d. c. 107 A.D.) was the third Bishop of Antioch and a direct disciple of Saint John the Evangelist. Arrested during the reign of Emperor Trajan, Ignatius was transported in chains to Rome to be fed to wild beasts in the Flavian Amphitheatre. During his journey to martyrdom, Ignatius composed seven monumental Epistles to Christian churches, providing irreplaceable early testimony to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the monarchical episcopate, and the term "Catholic Church" (which he was the first to record in writing). Ignatius famously wrote: "I am the wheat of God, and let me be ground by the teeth of the wild beasts, that I may be found the pure bread of Christ," sealing his apostolic witness with his life.